Tarrant?
by Ronnie343
Summary: Some things are just too good to be true, even in Underland. One-shot. TarrantXAlice


Alice breathed in and took her famous leap into the rabbit hole. After expertly dodging falling items and objects and successfully propelling herself off the bed by curling herself into a ball, she crashed through the ceiling with ease. When the room righted itself, she took the key, drank the potion and walked through the doorway into her wondrous second home. She was greeted by the bowing of the flowers in the garden, who she automatically curtsied to.

She was off to visit Hatter again at the tea party, perhaps confess of her growing-. No, she only saw him as a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. Still, it excited her to see him clashing swords with the Knave, almost winning...

"Alice." A small voice replied.

"Mallymkun!" Alice almost exclaimed, embarrassed.

Ah, so ye returned for tha tea party again?" Mallymkun asked, scampering up a tree in order to reach Alice's height.

Alice only nodded. "It's been too long since I last saw you. I'm terribly sorry. This trip lasted a little longer than expected."

"Hopefully, your plan ta try 'n stay 'ere wasn' a bluff," Mallymkun sneered.

"Not at all," the blonde replied, starting on her way. "Time may steady himself enough to where I can finally return here to stay.

Mallymkun's face registered an unreadable expression. "Well, tha' will be tha day, won't i'? Come on, lass. I' won't start withou' you." She scampered on ahead. "Sadly, Thackery won't be joinin' us todae."

Alice nodded and started to walk briskly towards her destination.

* * *

"Alice, I must say that you have the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. Not that I haven't seen anything beautiful in blue. It's just that yours I have never seen before. Well, I see them but I've never noticed them like...*sigh*"

Tarrant's shoulders slumped. This was irritating. His ramblings were getting more and more prevalent every time he practiced a confession, but he just couldn't stay on topic! Not that that surprised him. After all, he was mad. But still, he wanted this time to be perfect, even if that meant being late for the tea party, which he usually was never late for.

The Hatter prepared to start his confession again when he heard a sudden woosh. Chessur appeared atop his hat as it rested on the table. "Looking for love, Tarrant?"

"Jus' tha time for ye ta appear, ye slurvish cat," Tarrant grumbled, not wanting his alone time to be interrupted.

The cat only smiled and jumped onto the table. "It sounds as if we are bit angry, aren't we?" he purred, ignoring the Hatter's glares. "You need to hurry, Tarrant. If anything, go ahead and tell the girl of the love you feel for her. You know her beauty is among the highest in Underland."

"As if tha' hasn't gone unnoticed," the Hatter admitted, grudgingly. "And why should Aye take some advice from ye?"

"Well," Chessur started, disappearing and reappearing, "you wouldn't want anyone else to steal her, would you? Even"-he drawled out the next word-"marry her?"

Tarrant's eyes flickered of orange as the memory of Hamish's proposal to Alice came in, but he then shook it off, remembering (gladly) that she had rejected. "No, of course not."

"Then stop pretending and go to her," Chessur said. "Or maybe you need some persuasion?"

"I need to get my composure back," Tarrant groaned, his lisp back. "I've all but lost it thanks to you. Now, off with the likes of you!"

Chessur obeyed and materalized outside the March Hare house. He then caught sight of a small figure in the distance. "Perhaps...I should be the one to give it," he said, grinning widely. "Persuasion, that is."

* * *

"Where's the Hatter?" Alice asked, once she arrived, sitting in the chair next to his.

"'ave no idea," Mallymkun said, looking around. "Usually, he's not late..."

"Alice!" a voice called. Both turned to see the Hatter running towards them with outstretched arms. Alice stood up to receive the oncoming hug...not expecting to be almost knocked over.

"Umm...Tarrant?"

Tarrant squeezed her as he had never done before, causing her to blush. Then he began to spin her around, laughing deliriously as it seemed. After all this, he set a dazed Alice down in her seat. Mallymkun's mouth hung open.

"It's so good to see you again, love!" he exclaimed happily.

"I-I can see that," Alice replied, still shaken. "How are you, Hatter?"

"In, Out and all the good ways In-Between," he replied. "What about you, Alice? How are things in the Abovelands?"

"Going as planned," Alice said, pouring tea into a teacup. "If all goes well, I will be able to return here permanently."

"Wonderful!" He clasped both hands together in glee, oblivious to the blank stares from Alice and Mallykun. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

Alice and Mallymkun exchanged glances. The dormouse then settled into her teapot, while Tarrant scooted a little closer to Alice. Noticing this, Mallymkun kept her sleepy gaze on them.

"My dearest Alice," Tarrant began, turning towards her, "you look as lovely as ever today. What's the occasion?"

"Oh." Alice's face flushed. "Nothing in particular, Hatter. Just coming to the tea party, that's all."

"You're wearing the dress from your first return to Underland," he said, his voice a little low. "Are you sure that that's it, love?"

"Positively."

Hatter sighed. His gaze then settled on the old phonograph some feet away and he brightened up. "Why not some dancing?"

"Dancing?" Mallymkun and Alice asked simultanenously. He didn't want to sit down and discuss nonsense over tea and scones? Something seemed a bit off.

"Yes!" Tarrant exclaimed, bounding over to the music player. Placing the needle on the record, some strange, but wonderful music began to play, much like a combination of 1860's classical and 1920's big band. In other words, enough to dance to.

"M'lady?" He extended his hands towards Alice, who accepted it after shaking her herself out of shock. They began to quadrille very quickly, which eventually led to some spinning (and dizziness again, on Alice's part). He picked up Mallymkun in the process and soon, she was feeling like Alice. When he finally stopped, both nearly fell out from dizziness. Seeing this, the Hatter steadied Alice with a hand around her waist and caught Mallymkun from almost being dropped. "So?" he asked.

"So...very lively," Alice gasped between breaths.

"You need to catch your breath, lass?" asked he, seemingly worried.

"A little," agreed Alice, leaning on him. "Yes." Mallymkun then muttered something about it being a bit much for just catching your breath.

After a few minutes, Alice straightened herself up and faced the Hatter. The record began playing "The Lobster Quadrille" in the background. With Mallymkun back in the teapot, he took her hand and began to lead Alice in a quadrille appropriate for the situation. Alice frowned a bit, expecting it to be the same as before. Instead, she was led in a series of spins and dips she never expected, delighting her in every way.

"Ye know, Alice," Tarrant began. "There's somethin' Aye been wantin' tae tell ye."

"Oh?" Alice asked, a bit frightened by his brogue suddenly making itself prevalent. "What's that?"

"First off, don't be afraid," he remarked, noticing her fear. "I ain't goin tae hurt ye, love. Second, something's...changed..."

"Changed?" Alice's interest was picqued.

"Ever since your return tae Underland," Hatter continued,"I saw something different about ye. You had grown into a beautiful young lass. Woman, that is..."

Mallymkun averted her ears.

"That night on the balcony...when ye said I'll miss ye when I wake up, I...I never expected i'. Almost as if a new feelin' 'ad took a hold o' mae."

Alice's face flushed, not knowing what was going to happen next. "Hatter?"

"Alice." He turned his face towards her.

Mallymkun sunk into the teapot.

Slowly, their faces got closer and closer until their lips barely touched...

"CHESSUR!"

Alice jumped while 'Tarrant' leapt away and Mallymkun poked her head out. All heads turned towards the MArch Hare house to see another Hatter, whose eyes were flaring red at the other. "YE SLURVISH FELINE! YE...YE..." he sputtered.

Alice glanced between both Hatters until she noticed something underneath this Tarrant's coat start to move and watched as a certain gray and blue tail unfurled from it. Her eyes widened. "Ch-chess?"

The Hatter began storming towards the imposter. Chessur transformed back to himself and, frightened as he was, disappeared just before Tarrant could strangle him. Alice was still stunned. "So...that was..."

"*sigh* I should've known something was amiss when he mentioned persuasion," Hatter sighed, his eyes slowly returning to a dark green.

"Persuasion?" Mallymkun asked, still suspiscious.

Tarrant blushed. "Nothing. I'm sorry for that miserable outburst, Alice. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's fine," Alice said, feeling a bit relieved. "I just wish I figured it out sooner. It was really strange to get picked up and spun around."

"He did all that?" Tarrant asked, suddenly curious. "What else did he do?"

Alice and Mallymkun feeled him in on the details on what happened. Tarrant sighed. "That slurvish cat," he muttered, not knowing that Alice and Mallymkun could hear him. "He ruined my plans."

"Plans?" both said simultaneously. Tarrant shrank back, not knowing that he had been heard.

"Was the dance part of it?" Alice asked, suspiscious.

"Not in that way..." Tarrant replied nervously.

"What about what happened...afterward?" She began to fidget nervously.

Tarrant remained silent. "Same as before..." he managed to say.

Mallymkun nodded, allowing them to have privacy by returning to the vicinity of her teapot. Hatter inhaled and began. "Alice, you have the most beautiful blue eyes I ever seen. Not that they aren't beautiful or that blue isn't beautiful without them, but what I mean is..." He froze and let his head sink to his chest.

"Hatter," Alice remarked, lifting his face with her hands cupped around it. "Just say how you feel. Please."

"Alice," he began again. "you are an amazing woman. Full of muchness and having the most beautiful eyes I ever saw. In fact, you are the most beautiful woman I ever saw, eyes and all. When you returned to Underland, something had changed about the way I felt about you. When I asked you the stay on the Frabjous Day, it wasn't just because Underland was your home. I wanted you to stay..with me."

He took her hands in his. "I love you, Alice Kingsleigh. And I always will."

When Alice didn't respond, Hatter's expression fell. He then felt a pair of lips crash into his. When they pulled away, Alice smiled. "I love you, Tarrant Hightopp. And when I return to the Abovelands, I promise you that I will return and never leave your side."

As they embraced, Mallymkun emerged from the teapot. Chessur appeared next to her, grinning infectiously.

"I knew my plan would work," he purred.

"Oh, stuff it," Mallymkun said.

* * *

**Inspired by Deviantart again! Link here: Kiyomi-chan16 . deviantart . com / art / Tarrant - 201200053**


End file.
